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AVANT BIO Announces Peggy Lio and Philip Vanek as Operating Advisors to Strengthen Commercialization, Innovation and Strategic Growth

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NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AVANT BIO LLC, the growth equity firm investing in life science industrials and enabling technologies, today announced the appointment of Peggy Lio and Philip Vanek, Ph.D., as Operating Advisors. In their new roles, Lio and Vanek will work alongside AVANT BIO and its portfolio companies to support commercialization, business development, strategic growth and the translation of emerging technologies into profitable businesses.

Lio and Vanek bring complementary experience at the intersection of scientific innovation, commercialization and business building. Their appointments deepen the strategic support available to AVANT BIO portfolio companies while further expanding the firm’s Operating Advisor team, which also includes Maik Jornitz and Lukas Utiger.

Phil brings more than 30 years of leadership experience spanning strategy, business development, innovation, investment and general management across start-up and global biotechnology companies, currently serving as CCO of ISCT. He most recently served as CTO and Partner at Gamma Biosciences, a KKR life sciences tools platform with nearly $300 million in deployed capital, where he led technical diligence and helped shape the portfolio.

Previously, Vanek served as General Manager of Cell and Gene Therapy Strategy at GE Healthcare Life Sciences (now Cytiva, part of Danaher) where he led the company’s global cell therapy business strategy, with acquisitions including Biosafe and Asymptote, and helped build strategic collaborations across the regenerative medicine ecosystem. Earlier, he held senior innovation, business development and commercial leadership roles at Lonza, BD Biosciences and Life Technologies.    

“AVANT BIO’s focus on enabling technologies strongly aligns with the work I have pursued throughout my career—identifying technologies with the potential to change the industry and helping turn that potential into sustainable businesses,” said Vanek. “I’m excited to bring both an operator’s and investor’s perspective to the team and to work closely with AVANT’s portfolio companies.”

Peggy Lio has built a career spanning bioprocess development, technology innovation, product strategy and commercialization, with experience ranging from early-stage biotechnology development to global business leadership. She currently advises bioprocess companies on product strategy, commercialization, customer engagement and market entry. Previously, she spent more than a decade at GE Healthcare Life Sciences (now Cytiva, part of Danaher), ultimately serving as Senior Director, Global Cell Culture R&D and Services. In this role, she led a global organization across R&D, product management, business development, applications and new technology development.  Her responsibilities also included strategic roadmaps, technology assessment, partnerships and identifying opportunities for portfolio growth and potential M&A. Earlier in her career, Lio held leadership positions at Life Technologies and spent more than two decades at Schering-Plough, where she worked across biotechnology development, cell culture and fermentation processes supporting protein therapeutics and gene therapy.

“I’ve spent much of my career helping teams connect the science behind a technology with the customer problem it ultimately needs to solve,” said Lio. “That intersection of technical understanding, market insight and customer engagement is often what determines whether an innovation achieves meaningful adoption. I’m excited to work with AVANT BIO and its portfolio companies to help strengthen that connection and support their next stages of growth.”

“Phil and Peggy bring a powerful combination of scientific depth, commercial judgment and firsthand experience turning innovation into successful businesses,” said Daniella Kranjac, Founding General Partner of AVANT BIO. “Phil has been at the forefront of life science innovation for more than three decades. Peggy has spent her career at the intersection of science, applications and commercial strategy, with a rare ability to understand what customers need and translate emerging technologies into differentiated, market-ready solutions. Both have already made positive contributions in support of our portfolio companies and technical diligence process and we’re excited to be working together again.”

The appointments also build on long-standing professional relationships across the AVANT BIO network. Lio, Vanek and Kranjac previously collaborated at GE Healthcare Life Sciences, while Vanek and AVANT BIO Operating Advisor Lukas Utiger both have roots at Lonza, adding another layer of connectivity and shared industry experience to the firm’s operating network.

About AVANT BIO

AVANT BIO LLC is a growth equity firm investing in therapeutic-enabling technologies shaping how tomorrow’s therapies are discovered, developed, manufactured and delivered. With an investment focus engineered to accelerate new growth and innovation at various stages of company development, AVANT BIO is committed to amplifying value and unlocking the full potential of therapeutic enabling technologies, TechBio, and HealthTech.

For further information, including opportunities to partner, visit www.avant.bio. Follow AVANT BIO on LinkedIn for the latest news and industry insights.

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SOURCE AVANT BIO LLC

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ModelBest and OpenBMB Open-Source MiniCPM-OCR Series, Delivering High-Performance Document Parsing and AI-Powered Quality Control

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BEIJING, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ModelBest and OpenBMB jointly announced the release and open-source availability of the MiniCPM-OCR series, a family of models for efficient document parsing and parsing-quality assessment. The launch includes two models: MiniCPM-OCR 1.0 (1.3B) and MiniCPM-OCR Jev (2B).

As the first OCR-focused model in the MiniCPM family, MiniCPM-OCR 1.0 brings top-tier parsing accuracy to a compact 1.3-billion-parameter architecture optimized for edge deployment, pushing forward the balance between efficiency and performance for open-source OCR models. Built for real-world conditions, it accurately parses scanned, photographed, curved, tilted and screen-captured documents without cumbersome image pre-correction, lowering the barrier to large-scale document digitization.

The model handles dense bilingual Chinese-English content, complex mathematical formulas, and multi-level or borderless tables, consistently performing at a leading level across a broad range of mainstream industry evaluations. Beyond full-page reconstruction, it supports key information extraction (KIE), pulling specified fields from invoices, IDs and financial statements according to business instructions.

Powered by DSpark decoding acceleration, MiniCPM-OCR 1.0 significantly increases end-to-end throughput while lowering per-page latency. For enterprises processing millions of pages—such as financial contract archives, academic libraries and government records—this means processing far more documents with the same hardware and time budget, at a substantially lower computing cost.

To address the long-standing need for page-by-page manual review, ModelBest and OpenBMB also introduced MiniCPM-OCR Jev, the first OCR result decision model that acts as an “AI quality inspector.” Rather than performing OCR itself, Jev compares the source image with OCR output and rapidly assigns confidence scores to text, LaTeX formulas and tables, detecting missing characters, errors and formatting misalignments. Despite its compact 2B-parameter size, Jev delivers judgment accuracy typically associated with far larger models.

Jev supports cross-model deployment and can be integrated into existing OCR workflows without replacing the underlying OCR engine. It can automatically identify reliable results for direct processing, flag potentially inaccurate outputs for human review and select the best result from multiple OCR systems. This enables enterprises to move from full manual inspection toward risk-based, automated quality control.

The MiniCPM-OCR series is available on GitHub, Hugging Face and ModelScope, and supports vLLM, SGLang, llama.cpp and Ollama, along with SDKs, APIs, Agent Skill plugins and open-source fine-tuning code. Day-0 hardware adaptation covers AMD, Arm, Houmo AI, Intel and NVIDIA. Through the FlagOS software stack, it also has Day-0 support for AI and edge chips from CIX Technology, Huawei Ascend, Hygon, Iluvatar CoreX, Kunlunxin, MetaX, Moore Threads, Sunrise, T-Head, TsingMicro, NVIDIA and Apple Mac (Arm).

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SOURCE ModelBest

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Wulcea Elevates Consumer Trust in Heated Apparel Through Multi-National Safety Certifications and Rigorous Technical Testing

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NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As smart heated clothing gains broader adoption, consumers are paying closer attention to the safety and reliability of the technology behind these products. Wulcea, a brand specializing in graphene-powered heated apparel, combines its flexible GrapheneNano™ heating technology with documented safety compliance and durability testing for its heating components and battery systems.

“Trust in smart heated apparel goes beyond warmth—it comes down to confidence in battery safety and heating element reliability,” said John C, Founder of Wulcea. “Our goal is to give users peace of mind through certified technical standards.”

Advanced Graphene Heating Elements Supported by Global Standards

At the core of Wulcea’s thermal architecture is its GrapheneNano™ heating technology. Engineered to eliminate garment stiffness, Wulcea integrates flexible graphene elements that deliver balanced warmth across key upper-body zones while preserving natural garment drape and full freedom of movement.

Wulcea supports its heating components with applicable compliance documentation for major markets. These include CE and FCC compliance documentation addressing relevant electrical and electromagnetic compatibility requirements, as well as PSE compliance for applicable products in Japan. RoHS compliance further addresses restrictions on specified hazardous substances in applicable electrical and electronic components.

Multi-Certified Battery System for Dependable Power

To power its heating elements, Wulcea pairs its heated apparel with rechargeable battery systems designed for convenient everyday use. Featuring a compact design and housed in dedicated interior pockets, the batteries provide portable power while maintaining a streamlined garment profile and comfortable fit.

Wulcea backs its battery options with comprehensive third-party accreditations. UL certification demonstrates that the battery system has been evaluated against recognized power bank safety requirements, covering key areas such as overcharge protection, short-circuit protection, and thermal safety. The battery systems are also supported by applicable CE and FCC compliance documentation, addressing relevant regulatory requirements for electrical and electromagnetic compatibility.

For daily handling and travel, RoHS compliance validates that the battery system meets stringent global standards for material safety. The battery models have also undergone applicable UN 38.3 testing, supporting compliance with international requirements for lithium battery transportation.

Real-World Durability and Practical Usability

Component compliance forms Wulcea’s foundation, but reliability is defined by real-world performance. Built for high-flex endurance, Wulcea’s flexible graphene heating elements are tested through 10,000 active flexing cycles to maintain steady thermal output through repeated bending and everyday body movement.

Everyday convenience is equally essential. Built for hassle-free care, Wulcea’s heating elements withstand 100 machine-wash cycles under standard care guidelines, maintaining internal conductivity and structural stability under repeated laundering.

Integrated NTC temperature sensors provide thermal monitoring and are designed to stop heating if temperatures exceed 131°F (55°C). Combined with runtime of up to 10 hours on the low setting and a discreet interior control button, these features support practical everyday use in cold-weather conditions.

Aligning Technical Standards with Everyday Warmth

By combining graphene-based heating technology with documented battery safety compliance and durability testing, Wulcea continues to focus on the technical foundations of dependable heated apparel. This approach reflects the brand’s emphasis on bringing together safety considerations, practical functionality, and everyday comfort for cold-weather use.

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SOURCE Wulcea

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NIDS Co., Ltd. Confirms CES 2027 Participation, Pursues Expansion of Global Supply Chain for Environmental Sensors

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Company introduced optical and gas sensors at SEDEX and is strengthening its composite sensor business for robotics, home appliances, automotive, and smart building applications

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Environmental sensor manufacturer NIDS Co., Ltd. has confirmed its participation in CES 2027 and is moving to expand its global business-to-business (B2B) supply chain. Building on its experience supplying sensors to domestic and international home appliance and automotive companies, the company aims to secure overseas customers and extend its applications into smart building HVAC and robotics.

NIDS recently participated in the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association’s Sensor Pavilion at SEDEX 2026, held at COEX in Seoul, where it introduced its next-generation sensor modules. The company said the exhibition allowed it to raise awareness of its technology among domestic home appliance and electronic component industry professionals and to lay the groundwork for collaboration in the sensor field.

The company will use CES 2027 as its next stage. NIDS plans to firm up discussions on sensor module supply with global home appliance makers, HVAC specialists, and robotics companies. It aims to extend the industry contacts gained at the domestic exhibition overseas and to convert product introductions into actual supply opportunities.

Founded in 2000, NIDS develops and manufactures environmental sensors and air quality management solutions. According to the company, it has supplied more than 10 million sensors cumulatively to domestic and international companies, including Dyson, Samsung Electronics, and Hyundai Motor. Drawing on this supply track record, the company intends to showcase its precision sensing technology and mass-production capabilities to overseas customers.

Its main products include particulate matter sensors, optical gas sensors based on non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technology, composite environmental sensors, and electronic nose sensor modules. The particulate matter sensors measure PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10, while the gas sensor lineup targets carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and other gases. The electronic nose is used for detecting everyday odors, gas leaks, and fires. The company said it designs the core components required for air quality measurement in-house and has a system in place to mass-produce 5 million units annually.

The area where NIDS will expand development and supply going forward is next-generation composite sensor modules. The company has been pursuing a sensor business that responds to industry-specific demand in home appliances, automotive, and smart building HVAC, and is now concentrating its capabilities on markets such as robotics, industrial safety, and odor detection based on this technology. Building on its experience supplying individual components, NIDS plans to continue developing and supplying, on a B2B basis, modules that handle multiple types of environmental data.

The company will also highlight its sensor product lineup and its newly developed ultra-compact MEMS sensor technology at the exhibition. NIDS plans to introduce its optical and gas sensor lineup along with examples of their application in actual air quality management systems. By explaining both the measurement functions of its components and its experience operating sensors for finished-product services, the company aims to broaden the scope of partnership discussions.

NIDS explained that, because it owns its precision sensors, it can control sensor sensitivity and tune algorithms to suit the system in which they are applied. Drawing on this technical operating experience, the company plans to pursue partnerships with customers and to promote its business capabilities extending from sensor components to air quality and odor management and industrial safety management.

NIDS will also leverage its existing branch network in its overseas market development. Through its overseas bases in the United States, Japan, and China, the company plans to widen its touchpoints with buyers and seek new supply opportunities in conjunction with its CES participation. Its goal is to generate export results by combining exhibition participation with its local networks.

The company intends to keep expanding the global supply of sensor components as a core pillar of its business. Building on the supply experience accumulated in home appliances and automotive, it will broaden its partners to robotics, HVAC, and smart buildings, and respond to industry-specific air quality measurement demand through the development of next-generation modules.

“We plan to continue expanding the development and B2B supply of next-generation composite sensor modules needed across a range of industries, including home appliances, automotive, and smart building HVAC,” NIDS said.

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SOURCE NIDS Co., Ltd.

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